Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health

In late 2021, the US Senate held a motion on whether social media poses negative mental health consequences for the nation (Braghieri et al., 2022). It is no surprise that such a topic reached the Senate. Social media increasingly exposes a person to negative social comparisons, which can be predictors of mental health disorders. Arguably, social media increases its users’ feelings of loneliness and low self-esteem, which increases one’s risk for mental health issues.

Despite its ability to connect people, social media exposes a person to negative comparisons, which increases one’s feelings of isolation and loneliness. Social psychologist Festinger proposed that humans inherently seek to self-evaluate based on social comparisons (Bucci et al., 2019). Unfortunately, social media accelerates a person’s exposure to negative social comparisons, which derails a person’s self-esteem:

Engaging with others via social media platforms may elicit negative social upward comparisons whereby individuals compare themselves less favorably to others, leading to negative feelings about the self. Social media may further facilitate the formation of social ranks due to the tendency for people to present themselves and their experiences in a predominantly positive light. (Bucci et al., 2019, p. 8)

Braghieri et al. (2022) found that the expansion of Facebook at a college negatively impacted students’ mental health, categorically citing that “unfavorable social comparisons” were the chief driving mechanism. However, there is much to be said about the mediating role of social media in positive social connection. Increased use of social media effectively connects like-minded persons, enhancing social connection and mitigating feelings of isolation caused by the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) (Roberts & David, 2019). Still, this role of social media does not solve the looming inevitability of experiencing negative social comparisons from social media, increasing one’s risk of mental health issues.

Overall, social media’s role in exposing individuals to negative social comparisons inevitably increases users’ feelings of isolation, loneliness, and mental health issues. Its effect on a person’s self-evaluation and self-determination processes overshadows the networking capacities it offers, especially concerning issues of mental health. Therefore, people should approach social media with more intention and caution to reap its networking benefits and avoid its mental health risks.